Don't Look or Linger
by EpicSmiley12
Summary: In reflecting upon it now, it was a fair warning...


**Hello again! Here is the next story for the Care Bears portion of the Spooktober Spectacular. This story isn't really based on anything; I tried to make it both original and classic, so I hope you enjoy!**

***For the record, this story takes place around 1997-1998.**

"_If you're out walkin', better watch your back_

_Don't go dancin' on the railroad tracks_

_Look or linger there and Ashcat Jack_

_Sure gon' give you a heart attack!"_

The first time I ever heard that rhyme was when Champ, Harmony Bear, Grumpy and I went to North Carolina on a caring mission to help a boy named Myles. He was older than most of the kids we helped, being nearly 15, but as Care Bears and Care Bear Cousins we didn't discriminate. However, this fact meant we would have to think more carefully about our approach. The teenage years were often the most emotionally unstable ones, after all. The main problem Myles was having, though...it wasn't something usual. From the information we'd gotten on him, he was actually a very responsible boy. He had been in the soccer team ever since he was old enough to kick a ball. He liked reading and math, and while his grades weren't always perfect, he made sure to keep up a 3.0 in school. Myles loved to play music, especially the guitar, and his competetive streak showed when he entered tons of competitions, and he seemed to have fun whether he won or not. He also had quite a good relationship with his mother and younger sister, compared to what seemed to be the stereotype of teenagers today. To anyone , who ended the story there, they would never understand why such an upstanding boy would need the assistance of a Care Bear. Well, I'll tell you.

In the past two weeks, Myles' entire lifestyle seemed to turn a complete 180. Despite the fact that soccer season was almost over and the most important final games were about to take place, he had not shown up for a single practice and had not bothered to explain why. His grades had also begun to slip drastically; apparently he hadn't touched a single assignment throughout these fourteen days. Myles had dropped out of the last competition he'd entered and didn't seem to want to listen to any of his favorite music. The biggest thing, however, was the fact that he had begun to argue with his mother and sister over the most trivial of things. He was rude and grouchy most of the time, and refused to hang out with his friends. He was coming home later and later at night, and was there in the daytime less and less. We were off to help the poor kid, to try and get to the bottom of how his entire persona seemed to have changed in the course of two weeks.

"If only the rainbow rescue beam was still working," Champ muttered as he peered over the side of the cloud car we were in. "We could've arrived already."

"It's still a bit fragile," I said, not taking my eyes off the sky in front of me, despite the very low probability I'd actually run into something. "Once Grumpy and I put the finishing touches on it tonight, it'll be ready to use."

"We wouldn't have needed to fix it if someone hadn't messed up the circuitry…" Grumpy Bear complained from the backseat. I frowned and shot a glance back at him.

"I'm sorry, Grumpy," I sighed. "I was sure I'd labeled them…"

"No time for arguin', you two," Harmony said. "It looks like we're here."

We had arrived at an incredibly small town that could've come straight out of an old postcard of an American suburb. Trees lined its borders, and the main public places we could make out were a school, a small movie theater, what looked like a town hall, and a grocery store. The only other buildings were several rows of small, cookie-cutter houses. That was all, I had been sure...until I looked to the far right. Nearly completely hidden by the trees and shrubs was what looked like an old, abandoned train station. As we flew further into the village, I could see what looked like the remnants of a bridge and the tracks, still very much intact.

"I didn't know a train ran through here," Harmony said, looking out at the station.

"That must be the old Wysteria Isle Station," Grumpy said. "I read something about it once running through here."

"Huh," Champ looked over at the side we were gazing at. "You know, that sign is so faded you can barely see the letters. From here it kinda looks like 'wails at'..."

"Wails at?" I repeated. At the time, I had thought nothing of the little comment. After all, what's the big deal about a sign losing some letters and turning into an odd phrase? It happened all the time.

I landed the cloud car in a patch of grass not too far from the school.

"Alright, now where could he be?" Champ said more to himself than to all of us. "Maybe the sports field?"

"He quit his sports team, remember?" Grumpy objected.

"He could be out there watching, though."

"Hey!"

An unfamiliar voice made us all turn toward the soccer field. A boy in a soccer uniform with dark brown hair was running toward us. When he stopped, he looked at us with wide blue eyes.

"I know you! You're the Care Bears!"

"That's us," Harmony smiled. "My name's Harmony Bear, and this is Champ Bear, Grumpy Bear, and Bright Heart Raccoon." we all waved at him.

"I've heard a lot of stories about you," the boy said. "About how you go all around the world helping people feel better and live better...oh, my name's Aaron, by the way."

"Nice to meet ya, sports fan," Champ said. "Um, would you happen to know a boy named Myles?"

"Myles, huh?" Aaron's enchanted look seemed to dull, and he frowned. "Yeah, I'd say he needs your help. Personally, I think he's gone crazy these past couple of weeks! He's the captain of our soccer team, and last Monday he up and quit; he hasn't been coming to practice, and the ninth graders this year stink…" he folded his arms. "Though with the grades he's been getting, I think he woulda been kicked off anyway."

"Do you know where we could find him?" I asked.

"Hm…" he pursed his lips for a second. "Maybe you could try the railroad tracks. He hangs out there sometimes."

"He hangs out on those old abandoned tracks?" Grumpy's brow furrowed. "Isn't that a little dangerous?"

"A little?" Aaron smirked. "When we were kids, we used to try and hike up to the bridge behind the trees. I almost broke my leg trying to get to the top, and we weren't allowed back again. That thing has been messed up for years, ever since it got damaged back in '77 when there was a flash flood and a fire broke out."

"Why would he go there, if it's so dangerous?" Harmony's tone of voice made her question sound a little more like an annoyed scolding. Aaron merely shrugged.

"Probably so no one will bother him. He doesn't like hanging around us anymore, I guess."

"We're going to go see if we can talk to him," Champ decided. I absently wondered just what was going through Myles' head. He seemed like such a responsible kid; obviously he knew how dangerous the bridge was.

"Heh, good luck," Aaron said. A shrill whistle sounded from the other end of the field. "Oop, I gotta run. Uh, see you later, maybe?" he smiled before turning around and jogging toward his teammates.

"Okay, y'all, let's get going," Harmony said. "A broken down railroad bridge isn't safe for anyone, so we should probably get him away from there first."

"Let's hope we can convince him, then?" Grumpy said. We started walking, crossing the street and walking through the grass toward the trees that covered the station. I happened to be bringing up the rear of our little team, and was therefore the only one who noticed a few elementary students playing jump rope on the sidewalk not too far from the last little house on the street. I only paused because I caught the last line of whatever they were chanting.

"_...heart attack…"_

For a moment I wasn't sure I heard right. I turned toward the kids in surprise and listened again.

"_If you're out walkin', better watch your back,  
Don't go dancin' on the railroad track.  
Look or linger there, and Ashcat Jack  
Sure gon' give you a heart attack!"_

Confusion made my eyebrows knit together. The kids repeated the chant again and again, keeping time with the words and the movement of the jump rope. I don't know why I kept watching them; it just seemed like another neighborhood playtime chant. It probably didn't even mean anything. After all, an Ashcat was just the common word for the fireman on a locomotive. I'd never heard of any incidents involving them...

"You coming, little buddy?" Champ asked. I jumped a little, then blinked away my sudden trance and followed him and the others to the abandoned station.

Naturally, the place was extremely worse for wear. All kinds of plants had sprouted up in the cracks on the floor. Ivy clung to the walls, and there seemed to be dust everywhere. I remember Harmony nearly screaming bloody murder when her hand brushed a rather large spider that had crawled from the ticket booth to investigate us.

"Hello?" Champ was the first to call out for Myles. "Myles? You in here, sports fan?"

"Myyyllllleeees," Harmony trilled. "Hm...maybe he's out on the tracks?"

"I don't know if we should go out there," Grumpy said. He was looking through the dirty window at the other side of the station, where the tracks were. "I can see the bridge. Aaron was right; it is really broken down."

I walked up next to him and took a look for myself. I immediately winced. I couldn't see much through the near-opaque window, but I could tell that said bridge was on the verge of collapse. Wood stuck out of it at insane angles on the bottom. The top half was crushed and charred on one side, and parts of the bridge were missing altogether.

"No kidding," I agreed with Grumpy. "But if Myles isn't here, then where…"

_Tep tep tep._

I froze mid sentence, then turned to my friends. They looked just as confused as me.

_Tep tep tep tep tep..._

Uneasiness began to fill me. I stepped away from the window and looked at the door leading to the tracks. That seemed to be where the sound was coming from. A quick glance at everyone else present told me that no one wanted to go and check it out. I bit my lip, the strange mixture of worry and curiosity growing bigger in my head. After a moment of contemplation, I stepped toward the door and hesitantly reached for the handle. The tapping stopped. With a deep breath, I turned it.

_Tep tep tep tep tep tep tep tep tep…_

The tapping started up again, this time louder than before. It sounded more metallic; metallic and heavy. It was almost like someone in boots was moving around on a titanium floor. I looked over my shoulder at the others. They started toward me, ready to follow me through the door. Then they stopped short. I felt a chill run through me, and reluctantly turned back around.

"Wah!" I gasped, stumbling back a bit.

"Who are you?" the teen boy in front of me asked, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. Upon looking him over once, I realized that he wasn't frightening in the slightest. He had sandy hair and hazel eyes. He wasn't a giant, but he definitely wasn't short.

"...Um," I swallowed, blushing a little at my overreaction. "My name's Bright Heart Raccoon. Th-these are my friends: Harmony Bear, Champ Bear, and Grumpy Bear. We're part of the Care Bear Family…what's your name?"

"...It's Myles," the boy said. "Are you here for a reason?"

"We noticed you haven't really been yourself of late," Grumpy stated. "We came to see if there was anything you wanted to talk about."

"It's nothing," Myles answered quickly. "I'm fine."

"...Myles, we noticed that you've been fighting with your family and friends," Harmony said. "Is there a reason behind that?"

For a moment, Myles' blank expression turned into one of deep regret. He hung his head, staring sadly at the ground. It was a startling change, but before we could ask anything more, he looked up, alarmed.

"You guys have to go," he said. "It's not good to be out here. You better leave now."

"It's not very safe for you, either," Harmony said. "Why don't you come back to town? We can talk there."

"I'm not leaving," Myles said suddenly. "I'm trying to get them to leave."

"I...what?" Harmony blinked in befuddlement. It was then I noticed that Myles' gaze wasn't quite directed at us...it was too high up. I cast a quick glance behind us. There was nothing.

"Don't...don't do anything," Myles said, backing up a little. "They're not bad…"

"What are you talking about, sports fan?" Champ scratched his head.

Myles didn't reply. His eyes were wide, his face pale. He raised his hands weakly, opening his mouth to say something else. Then he gasped and froze for a moment. He was completely still, and we all simply stared, completely puzzled by the situation. Suddenly, Myles' nervous expression turned into one of iration. He scowled at us, making us all take a step back in shock.

"I thought I told you to leave!" he shouted. "You heard me! Get out!"

Still not understanding the situation, we hesitantly stood our ground, in spite of backing up just a little more. We seemed to stand there silently for some unknown reason; no exchange occurred for a good minute. Then, just as oddly as before, Myles' expression changed again, this time to one of pure fear.

"No…" he whispered. "No, I can't...I can't do this…"

"What is wrong, Myles?" Harmony tried again. "Please, we can go back to the town and talk about this-

"GET DOWN!"

The sudden outburst from Myles was too spontaneous for Harmony to immediately follow. Because of this, the boy grabbed the closest thing he could find to throw - a chunk of the station's foundation - and chucked it at the wall above Harmony Bear's head; said bear screamed and ducked. Something made a loud shattering noise. When we turned to see what it was, we found a rather large glass ashtray in pieces on the floor. Myles made a groaning sound, bringing our attention back to him. The boy had turned almost paper white, and he was shaking. Without another word, he turned and darted out the door toward the bridge. I remember all of us shouting after him, rushing toward the door together, and then feeling a _whoosh_ go by our heads. Of course, we couldn't see it at all. What we could see, however, was the bridge that Myles had begun to cross was beginning to shake.

I was the first one out the door. I was the first one to see the wood splintering beneath Myles. I was the one who shouted his name, who called up a Cousin Call as quickly as I could. It hit the bridge, forming a small cloud that pulled Myles away from the dangerous structure.

"Are you okay!?" I asked, watching the boy as he breathed frantically. He looked at me with stricken eyes.

"Why'd you do that?" he asked, his voice incredulous. "Now he's gonna-

I didn't hear the rest. I was preoccupied by the sudden gust of burning air that hit my face. The smell of smoke and ashes hit my nose, and a hysterical sound filled my ears. I gripped my head and stumbled backward, unfortunately heading toward the bridge…

I don't remember ever feeling such pain. I could barely see, it was so horrible. I could barely hear my friends screaming as my ears rang. I still remember it all so clearly, those loud _TEP TEP TEP_s…

My foot caught on something. I fell backward and felt a sickening SNAP. More pain shot up my leg, but that just wasn't enough, was it? I felt myself sliding down, down into the ravine...

And that's how I got here.

…

No, I haven't seen any of them since then. I think they moved me, though. They brought me back to the Forest of Feelings, probably had a funeral or something.

…

Yeah, sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I hadn't looked back, hadn't hesitated. I guess I should've listened to the rhyme, huh?

…

Yep. He asked me to dance the first night. I couldn't do it very well, because of my leg...but it was nice watching him. He does it so well in those boots. They make a lovely sound on the tracks.

…

Oh, I wouldn't bother trying to leave. Myles tried, and he couldn't. So, you might as well get used to life here. If you're looking to pass the time...do you wanna dance?


End file.
